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Click here to read Part 2 of this article

Part 3 – Habits 41 to 60

41. Eliminate bottlenecks

If you closely examine your blogging activities you will identify areas that slow down your productivity. For example, your bottleneck might be slower typing speed or lack of technical knowledge. By identifying and eliminating bottlenecks you will become more productive. Learning to touch type quickly and seeking the help of a technical person are ways to eliminate the bottleneck examples mentioned above.

42. Willingness to experiment

There are many websites and blogs (including webspear.com) that teach you how to become a better blogger. Most of the materials in these websites are generic guidelines. They do not always apply to your blog. Effective bloggers are willing to experiment with new ideas and opportunities. Experimentation is the best way to find out what works for you and what does not work well.

43. Never treats the blog as a dumping ground

Your blog is not a dumping ground. Do not put any material in your blog unless you believe what you have written will add value to your readers. If you do not have faith in your own work, how can you expect your readers to appreciate your work?

44. Does not spend too much time on little things

Effective bloggers spend less time on little things and devote more time for things that really matter.

45. Revives posts

The life of a blog post does not end after being published. Good bloggers re-visit previous posts. They write follow up posts referring the original post, fix any errors found in the original post (without altering the core message of the post).

46. Not shy to ask questions

Effective bloggers never feel shy to ask questions. It is impossible for a blogger to know everything. Trying to pretend that you know everything might work in the short term, but in the long run your readers will notice your weakness. Asking questions is a great way to learn.

47. Transparent

Being transparent in what you do allows a blogger build trust with the readers. It is often a good idea to tell your readers about any conflicts of interest. For example, if you are promoting a product in your blog and you are getting a commission from the vendor, for each sale of that product, let your readers know about your relationship with the product vendor.

48. Has a sense of humor

One of the great qualities of an effective blogger is to look at things on a lighter side. Good bloggers do not get too serious or defensive about them all the time. They are open to criticism.

49. Problem Solver

Why do people read your blog? They read because they want to find solutions to issues. Your blog posts should provide solutions to real issues. Not a rehash of what has been said by many others in the past.

50. Articulate

An effective blogger has the ability to explain complex things in simple terms.

51. Tough enough to take the heat

As your blog matures you will face more scrutiny by your audience. You will come across both negative and positive criticism. An effective blogger is tough enough to face negative criticisms. This includes both honest and unfair criticisms.

52. Good note taker

A blogger’s job is not a 9 to 5 job. A blogger gets new ideas throughout the day. An effective blogger quickly writes down these ideas so that they do not slip away. A major complain among new bloggers is that they run out of ideas. By taking notes you can keep your ideas and imaginations intact.

53. Organized

In part 2 of this series we saw that effective bloggers have the ability to multitask. To multitask well one has to be organized.

54. Learns from Web Analytics

Web Analytics software such as Google Analytics show the behavior of your website users. This behavioral information provides valuable insight to your reader base allowing you to cater for their needs better.

55. Goes beyond Google

Good bloggers do not only depend on the internet as the only source of information. They learn by reading books, white papers, attending workshops and seminars, socializing with other bloggers etc.

56. Does not only stick to text

Traditionally blogging has been a writing task. Effective bloggers also use other medium such as video, audio and multimedia to present information.

57. Prevents information overload

Successful bloggers do not overload their readers with more information. Your blog readers are not only reading your blog. They might read a dozen blogs everyday. So if you write too much on a daily basis there is a good possibility that your reader would not have enough time to read your lengthy post. Large posts can drive visitors off your blog. Therefore it is important that you give readers the right amount of information they can digest on a daily basis.

58. Converts reader communications into to posts

Replying to user questions via emails is not an effective way to utilize your time. This is because your time is exclusively spent to help out one person. Why not try to change that question into a generic post. Many readers can now benefit from this post. This technique also avoids multiple users asking the same question again and again.

59. Promotes the blog offline

Effective bloggers not only promote their blog online but also promote it offline. Examples of promoting your blog offline include using business cards, writing a column in the local newspaper, word of mouth, attending blogger conferences etc.

60. Writes article excerpts

Writing article excerpts is a good way to provide a concise description about your post that grabs the reader’s attention in the first place. Excerpts are also useful when submitting your content to social media sites, as many of them require a short description about your content.

Part 4 of this article will be published in a weeks time. If you have any good points to share please comment. I’ll will try include your points in my list as well.

Categories: Blogging
Tags: Blogging